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Pokin Around: Am I seeing double? Or are those two traffic-light poles next to each other?

Last week one of my Facebook friends, David Pryor of Springfield, posted a strange photo.

It was a picture of two identical traffic lights — on two posts mounted in the ground — standing side by side like sentries on the east side of Grant Street, at West Nichols Street.

Was this a case of double vision?

I rubbed my eyes and, no, they were both still there.

So, the question is:

Why two? Why two?

Who better to answer this question than Springfield's Mr. Traffic Engineer —that's his title — Eric Claussen?

Claussen started his explanation by quoting the Bible.

Not that Bible, but the holy book of traffic engineers: "The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices," published by the Federal Highway Administration.

The national guideline is that there should always be two traffic signals facing each direction.

The purpose of the redundancy is, of course, two-fold, Claussen says.

First, it provides better visibility.

In this case, visibility is a particular concern because Nichols — the east/west street — is not a straight shot through Grant. The intersection is slightly off-set.

Second, traffic-light bulbs are just like light the bulbs you buy for your home: They don't burn out at the exact same time. So when one goes dark, there is still one in operation.

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Why?(Photo: Steve Pokin/News-Leader)

Claussen says the two traffic-light post has been there at least as long as he has worked for the city, which is 11 years.

He theorizes that the reason they were not placed on a single pole with an arm extending into the intersection is because of the power lines overhead.

"It's one of those intersections that I have driven through about 500 times — you know the two posts are there, but you just stop thinking it is any different than any other intersection," Claussen says.

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Grant Beach Park(Photo: Steve Pokin/News-Leader)

Check in tomorrow for this Answer Man question: Where's the beach? How did 'Grant Beach Park' get its name?

These are the views of News-Leader columnist Steve Pokin, who has been at the paper 5½ years, and over his career has covered everything from courts and cops to features and fitness. He can be reached at 836-1253, spokin@gannett.com, on Twitter @stevepokinNL or by mail at 651 N. Boonville, Springfield, MO 65806.